Charcoal Effect 1900 - 1925

Editor: Mary Deven’s "Charcoal Effect", a photogravure from the early 1900s, feels incredibly intimate. The blurring and muted tones soften the image and pull the viewer into what feels like a memory, or even a dream. I’m intrigued by its slightly unfinished quality, a quality that I find endearing, and a technique emulating drawings. What story do you see in this portrait? Curator: A story of quiet experimentation! The artist is clearly toying with the boundaries of photography as a fine art. Notice how she embraces the soft focus, almost rejecting sharp realism in favor of a more impressionistic rendering. I can almost smell the charcoal dust, can't you? She seems intent on suggesting mood over fact, and I'm totally on board with that choice. I imagine this photographer playing with the chemical processes, tweaking them like a painter might mix pigments. I wonder, what does this tell us about what an artist can even *be*? Editor: So, would you say the title hints at that push and pull between mediums? Between drawing and photography? Curator: Exactly! It's like she's whispering, "Look, I can make photography do *this* too!" This photograph feels to me like it has been filtered through the softest lens of memory. Don’t you think the sitter seems timeless in a way, their gaze piercing but gentle, alluding to the depths of human emotion and artistic expression? Editor: Definitely! And understanding its context within the Pictorialism movement makes it even more captivating. Curator: Precisely. Pictorialism was all about elevating photography to the level of painting. And with "Charcoal Effect," Devens absolutely succeeded! I find it an incredibly compelling dialogue on identity and artistry, echoing long into our present day! Editor: I agree! I think I appreciate the soft focus more now, considering the artistic and historical context. Thanks for helping me see that!